Thermo Scientific Vanquish VF-D20, Operating Manual, Page: 31 / 182

3 • Detector Overview
Vanquish Charged Aerosol Detectors Operating Manual Page 31
3.2 Operating Principle
The detector is designed for charged aerosol detection with full
compatibility in HPLC and UHPLC applications. In charged aerosol
detection, an aerosol of dried analyte particles is formed after
nebulization of column eluate. Electrical charge is imparted to these
dried particles. The detector then measures the charge. Measured
charge is proportional to the amount of analyte in the sample.
The following picture shows the interior components of the detector,
and illustrates how the detector operates:
Figure 1: Operating principle of the detector
No. Description No. Description
1 Eluate from column 8 Mixing chamber
2 Nebulizer 9 Charger gas inlet
3 Gas inlet 10 Corona charger
4 Gas filters 11 Ion trap
5 Spray chamber 12 Electrometer
6 Drain pump 13 Electrometer board
7 Evaporation tube 14 Gas exhaust
Eluate from the column enters the detector (no. 1) and flows to the
nebulizer (no. 2). Pressurized gas streams through the gas inlet (no. 3)
and passes through the charcoal gas filter and then the HEPA gas filter
(no. 4). In the nebulizer (no. 2), the filtered gas and the eluate merge at
the nebulizer tip to create an aerosol within the spray chamber (no. 5).